You can handle one more Bubble Bobble post, right?

I sure hope so, because the "other game" mentioned in this post is none other than the Famicom Disk System version of Bubble Bobble.

I'm sure it could go without saying that I bought it during that "Bubble Bobble on the brain" phase I battled a few weeks ago.

That isn't the only reason I bought it, though; I also was swayed by the fact that it was cheap and that it would allow me to (finally) test the disk drive on my Twin Famicom.

All that said, isn't the disk itself (above) awesome? I love that it's banana yellow and that it features a three-dimensional "NINTENDO" logo along the bottom edge.

Oh, and I can't get over the size of it. It's tiny--just 3 inches by 3 1/2 inches.

See also: 'I've been called a lot of things ...'

This ain't your Mother's game ad

This rather epic, if a bit corny, commercial was used to promote Shigesato Itoi's Mother (aka EarthBound Zero) prior to its Japanese release in 1989.



After spending some quality time with the game over the last week, I can't help but think about how it would have fared in the US--had it been released in, say, 1990 or 1991.

Given its all-American hero, setting and story--not to mention its humor--I have a feeling it would have sold better than Nintendo of America's marketing execs believed at the time.

More Famicom fabulosity

Well, I recently caved and bought a few more Famicom carts. (What a shocker, right?) Which games did I pick up? I think I'll reveal one of them now, and the other tomorrow.

Today's reveal is none other than a complete-in-box copy of Shigesato Itoi's Mother (aka EarthBound Zero). I've been eyeing up this game for some time, so when I saw a cheap-ish copy show up on eBay a few weeks back I pounced on it.

While waiting for it to arrive, I began playing through the unreleased prototype of the North American version of the game (the aforementioned EarthBound Zero).

Although its graphics can't compare to its slick-as-snot sequel, Mother/EarthBound Zero holds its own in pretty much every other department. For starters, it's hilarious--with my favorite line thus far being, "Rat uttered dirty words." Also, it has a great soundtrack. (I'm especially impressed with the varying battle themes.) Most importantly, though, it's just plain fun.

I'm sure I'll have more to say about this wonderful game soon, but in the meantime why don't you check out (here) the rest of the photos I took of the Mother box and cartridge? (If you're at all interested in either, of course.)

I'm still working my way through The 4 Heroes of Light, by the way

Although I took a bit of a break from my playthrough of Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light a few weeks ago--after trying, and failing, to beat the final boss, oh, seven or eight times--I picked it up again over the weekend.

I'm not worrying about the final boss--his name's Chaos, in case you're curious--at the moment, though; instead, I'm focusing on the game's four, 100-floor bonus towers.

They're quite challenging, as I'm sure you can imagine. For starters, the layout of each and every floor is randomly generated. Also, every 20 floors or so you're forced to battle a boss.

This guy reminds me of Professor Layton for some reason.

It's not all bad, though, as each tower has a special shop on its 40th floor, and treasure chests--filled with rare weapons and armor--are located on each tower's 70th and 90th floors. Oh, and you receive a crown--four total--every time you beat a tower's 100th-floor boss.

So far, I've conquered the first tower and made it to the 40th floor on the second and third towers. I may take another run at Chaos after I complete the second tower--or maybe I'll just stick with the bonus towers until I get sick of them...

More Kirby in 2011? Yes, please!

You know that Kirby game that the folks at Nintendo have included on their release lists since 2004? (Here's a post about it.) Well, it seems it's going to be released--in Japan, at least--later this year.

Not only did Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata say as much during a press briefing late last week, but a brand-new trailer (below) of the game was posted on the company's website shortly after said briefing.



I'm not sure it looks as charming as Kirby's Epic Yarn, but it certainly looks as fun.

Speaking of long-awaited Wii games that look like a lot of fun, here's a new trailer for Rhythm Tengoku Wii (which also is set for a 2011 release):



See also: 'Forget about the 3DS...'